Overhead trolley



(N9 Model.)

0. W. HUNT.

OVERHEAD TROLLEY. V No. 538,610. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

UNrrn TATES FFICE' ATENT OVERHEAD TROLLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,610, dated April 30, 1 895.

Application filed February 4, l 8 9 2.

To atZZ whom it may concern.-

Be'it known that I, CHARLES WV. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at West New Brighton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Overhead Trolleys or Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

In transporting articles from one place to another a stationary overhead track is often made use of, upon which a trolley with wheels is adapted to run, the article to be moved being suspended from such trolley, and this trolley has usually been provided with two flanged wheels. Difficulty has heretofore been experienced in-systems of this character, because provision has not been made by which one track can intersect or cross another track at the same level, and in addition to this the two wheels of the trolley have had to perform the double duty of guiding the trolley and of supporting the weight.

In my present invention I make use of a trolley with three supporting wheels and I provide openings at intersections of tracks running in different directions, so that the suspending trolley may pass along the track and the wheels are farther apart than the opening in the track, so that the weight is suspended and the wheels pass over but do not drop at the notch of the track, and these notches or openings in the tracks allow for the passage of the suspending device for the trolley.

In carrying out thisimprovementthe weight is principally supported upon a central wheel or wheels, and the flanged end wheels act principally as guides to the trolley in moving around the curve. This lessens the friction and wear because the weight being mostly supported by the center wheel, the end wheels only act as guides to give direction to the central wheel, whereas in the ordinary trolleys the two wheels tend to travel in a straight line and the weight upon such wheels tends to make the flanges grind against the rail in running over curves.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the trolley and a portion of the track. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the track,'showing the trolley in elevation and a support for the track and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan representing the tracks and the supports for the same at the Serial No.420,323. (No model.)

intersections. Fig. 415 a section of the track having-an H rail, and Fig. 5 shows a modification of the tracks.

The track bars A and A are to be of any desired size and strength according to the work to be performed, and these are suspended by suitable hangers B, which hangers may be in the form of brackets or yokes according to the positions where they are to be placed and the supports with which they are to be connected.

The trolley is composed of a frame 0 having three wheels and provided with an eye 2 at the lower end for the hookD or other connection for the article to be supported, and there may be a block or differential pulleys and chains connected with the hook D for raising any article to be transported.

The central wheel E may be flanged but is preferably made cylindrical and it is upon a bearing in the frame 0, and the guide wheels F are provided with flanges that run at the sides of the top of the rails or track bars A A, and it is preferable to construct the parts so that the lower edge of the supporting wheel E is slightly below a line passing from one guide wheel F to the other, so that the weight will be taken almost entirely upon the wheel E and the wheels F will simply act as guide wheels to keep the trolley in its proper position upon the track bars A A.

Where two tracks cross each other, as illustrated in Fig. 3, there is an opening between the bars A'sufficiently wide for the trolley to pass when traveling upon the bars A and the reverse, and the parts are so constructed and proportioned that the distance between the track bars A or A is less than the distance between the supporting wheel E and either, guide wheel F. Hence as the trolley may be moving along upon the track bars A the advancing guide wheel F passes over the opening between the track bars and rests upon the next track bar before the supporting wheel E leavesthe previous track bar. Hence in crossing the intersection the weight will be supported by the guide wheels F, and the supporting wheel E will pass upon the next track bar and sustain the weight before the rear guide wheel F leaves the previous track bar. Hence there is little or no jar to the parts in crossing the notch in the track,

and one track does not interfere with the other track, and while it is preferable for the tracks to cross each other at nearly right angles, they may cross at a greater or less angle, the trolley frame and the openings being properly proportioned.

I have represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 a track composed of a fiat bar supported edgewise, but in Fig. 4 the track is represented as made of an I beam. In the track first named the wheels run upon the top edge. With the I beams the wheels may advantageously run upon the upper surface of the bottom flange, and in this case the trolley frame will be doubled and have six wheels, in two sets of three at each side, and the trolley frame extend up at the two sides, as indicated in Fig. 4. In other respects the trolley and its operation will be the same.

I make the hangers with one or two screw threaded recesses for the reception of one or more metal bars or tubes, as represented at B B, and these bars or tubes are easily cut off and screw threaded so as to be of the required lengths, and the socket plates B B are adapted to receive the screw threaded ends of the bars or tubes B and also bolts 5 by which the socket plates are permanently secured in position. By this arrangement the distances between the hangers B and the building can be easily provided for and the hanger may be adapted to receive the one tube, as indicated in Fig. 1, or two tubes, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The rails shown in Fig. 5 are two part with the trolley hanger between them and adapted to the reception of six wheels in sets of three at opposite sides of the trolley frame.

I claim as my invention- The combination of two intersecting elevated tracks at the same level, each interrupted at the point of intersection, the rails of one track being in line with the opening in the other track, supporting devices for the tracks, a trolley frame adapted to pass through the opening in the track, and supporting wheels for the trolley frame, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 1st day of February, 1892.

CHAS. W. HUNT.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINCKNEY, WILLIAM G. Mom. 

